EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art had the great honor of welcoming the Danish royal couple and the President of Finland with his spouse to the museum. The visit was part of King Frederik X and Queen Mary’s official state visit to Finland on March 4–5, 2025. The event marked the unveiling of a new artwork in EMMA’s collection: Untitled (Stripe series with red and blue as recurring colors) (1965–1966) by Danish artist Poul Gernes (1925–1996). The acquisition was made possible through a significant donation from the Danish New Carlsberg Foundation.

“We are extremely proud to have had the unique opportunity to unveil Poul Gernes’ monumental work in such distinguished company, during the artist’s centenary year. Gernes believed that art should be for everyone and should energize our surroundings. This visit was a wonderful testament to the unifying power of art,” said EMMA’s Museum Director Pilvi Kalhama.

The King of Denmark, and the President of the Republic, had the honor of unveiling the permanent display consisting of 15 paintings in front of an audience of invited guests. The event featured speeches from EMMA’s Executive Director Pilvi Kalhama and Michael Thouber, Director of the New Carlsberg Foundation. Following the unveiling, Kalhama guided the distinguished guests through EMMA’s current exhibitions and introduced them to the museum’s public art programme. Bringing art into public spaces and everyday life was a key element of both Gernes’ artistic vision and EMMA’s mission.

Pilvi Kalhama in her speech: “Here in the Nordic countries, in both Finland and Denmark, it is self-evident that our modern culture, art, design, and the built environment shape and affect us on a daily basis, and in particular, reflect our core values— equality, well-being, open dialogue, and the opportunity for participation in society. Culture, in a word is, democracy.”

Director of New Carlsberg Foundation Michael Thouber: “The foundation strives to promote the role of art in society, based on the conviction that art has the capacity to enrich human life, and our world at large. Museums play a key role in realising this vision, and that is why, it is an honour for the New Carlsberg Foundation to donate Poul Gernes’ series of paintings to EMMA.”

EMMA extends its heartfelt gratitude to King Frederik X and Queen Mary of Denmark, as well as President Alexander Stubb and his spouse Suzanne Innes-Stubb, for their visit.